1951-01-31

DUPLESSIS BRIDGE


Mr. Leon Balcer (Three Rivers):: Mr. Speaker, I rise on a question of privilege to direct the attention of the house to a tragedy which occurred this morning at Three Rivers through the collapse of the highway bridge. Communications have been disrupted, and I should like to know if it is possible for the Department of National Defence to provide for the temporary use of a Bailey bridge to serve the area.


Hon. Brooke Claxion (Minister of National Defence):: Mr. Speaker, I heard only a few minutes ago of this most regrettable tragedy. There has been no inquiry from the government of the province as to what aid we could render. My recollection of this bridge is that the river is too deep and too wide to permit the use of a Bailey bridge. However, I shall be glad to look into the matter and see what can be done.



BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT


Right Hon.  L. S.@: Mr. Speaker, I should like to lay on the table copies of correspondence exchanged between the Minister of Justice (Mr. Garson) on my behalf and the premiers of the several provinces with respect to suggestions for constitutional amendments.
(For text of correspondence, see pages 43 to 47.)



REPORTS AND PAPERS

['Mr. Speaker, I should like to lay on the table copies, in English and in French, of a report entitled "Documents on the Korean Crisis." This report will supplement the material contained in the report "Canada and the Korean Crisis," which I tabled on September 1, 1950.']
Hon. J. J. McCann (Minister of National Revenue):: Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the report of the Department of National Revenue for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1950; also the report of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1950.
So far as export petroleum and pulpwood regulations are concerned, none having been promulgated since the last return was made, no report will be made regarding this item.



Hon. L. B. Pearson (Secretary of State for External Affairs):: Mr. Speaker, I should like to lay on the table copies, in English and in French, of a report entitled "Documents on the Korean Crisis." This report will supplement the material contained in the report "Canada and the Korean Crisis," which I tabled on September 1, 1950.



BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE


[Stage Direction]
On the orders of the day:
Mr. George A. Drew (Leader of the Opposition):: Mr. Speaker, I should like to
direct a question to the Prime Minister. I wrote a letter to him which I know he has not had very much time to consider; I was informed that he was out of the office at the time of its arrival. In that letter I suggested that in view of the present situation the desirability should be considered of setting aside days for debates on the three major items that will obviously be before this house, and that the report on external affairs should be made immediately, with an opportunity to debate that as one subject, followed by national defence, and, after that, the cost of living and inflation.
Is the Prime Minister in a position to say whether he will comply with this suggestion? I believe it would provide the most orderly way of proceeding with the discussion, which may be unrelated to reality if we have no facts upon which to base our comments.


Right Hon. L. S. St. Laurent (Prime Minister):: I received just as I was coming
into the house, because up to that time I was engaged elsewhere, the letter referred to by the leader of the opposition, and 1 have just had time to look at it. I must confess that I was taken by surprise, because I had gathered from what took place yesterday that we would be following the traditional procedure; that after the mover and the seconder of the address had spoken today the leader of the opposition might wish to ask for an adjournment in order that he might speak to the address on Thursday

Business of the House
Traditionally the procedure would have been for me to reply and then for the other leaders to speak. We had intended to ask the Secretary of State for External Affairs (Mr. Pearson) to take part in the debate immediately after that, and make a statement about the present international situation as he views it. We had also expected that at an early time the Minister of National Defence (Mr. Claxton) might make a statement enlarging on what is set forth in the speech from the throne about defence preparations, and that there would also be an opportunity at an early day for a member of the government to make a statement about economic controls that may have to be contemplated. There would be an opportunity for those three subjects to be discussed in appropriate sequence in the debate on the address.
To my knowledge we have not followed the practice of the parliament at Westminster of setting aside a day for debating any particular subject. Without the introduction of a special motion or resolution, I should be at some loss to find an appropriate standing order under which these subjects might become debatable matters. On the other hand, in the debate on the speech from the throne all three can be fully considered, because they are all referred to therein. My understanding is that the adoption of the address at the parliament of Westminster is regarded almost as a formality and takes place practically without debate.
If it were the desire of the house to adopt the address at once, we could immediately move to set up the committee of supply. I would not want to give a formal opinion, but I would imagine that there might be an opportunity then for debating these three subjects in proper sequence. But I must confess that I have not had any opportunity of considering this matter with my colleagues. I trusted, and still trust, that it might be convenient to follow the traditional order. If the various leaders made their speeches on the address tomorrow I would undertake that the Secretary of State for External Affairs would follow on Friday with as complete a statement of the situation, as he views it, as it is within his province to make, and that very soon after that the Minister of National Defence would be prepared to enlarge upon the statements about defence preparations contained in the speech from the throne.
Of course it might make for dispatch if we adopted the speech from the throne right away and found another appropriate method to deal with the other matters, but I would not like to ask hon. members to forgo *heir right to discuss matters of public concern which they think it is necessary to
tMr. St. Laurent.]
bring before parliament in its opening days, unless that seemed to be almost the unanimous feeling of the house. If we followed the procedure suggested yesterday I would hope that we would get before the house, beginning on Friday with external affairs and perhaps following on Monday with national defence, full statements from the ministers concerned with respect to the policies of the government announced in such general terms in the speech from the throne.


George Alexander Drew: Since the Prime Minister has indicated that he has received such short notice of this matter, and since admittedly this procedure has not been adopted before, for the purpose of seeking further consideration I should like to make a point with respect to what he has said. If we adopted the procedure followed at Westminster of naming a day for discussion of these major subjects, consideration of the speech from the throne could then proceed with all members possessed of the information essential to effective debate. If the usual course is followed it is obvious that those members who have already spoken will not then be able to take part in any such debate as might be arranged to deal with a particular subject. In the government and in the other parties there are certain members who deal particularly with certain subjects and they might lose the opportunity to deal with those particular subjects.
This matter can stand, but I would again urge consideration of the subject by the Prime Minister. As he has already pointed out, the speech from the throne is in very general terms, and I suggest that the very general terms in which we received the information make it extremely difficult at this time to discuss three of the most vital subjects which this house will be called upon to deal with, or in fact that it has ever been called upon to deal with. I am not suggesting this as a practice always to be followed in the future. I am not suggesting it as a practice that would in any way limit the opportunity of any member to deal with those subjects that arise in the debate on the speech from the throne. I am suggesting, however, that we are in a most unusual and critical period and that it would be extremely helpful, from the point of view of orderly debate and the attainment of that approximation to unanimity with regard to those matters on which we can agree, which will certainly be forthcoming, to have the essential information on these vital subjects before we proceed with the general debate.
I leave that suggestion with the Prime Minister. If it commends itself to him and his colleagues we can follow another course tomorrow. In view of the fact that the Secretary of State for External Affairs (Mr. Pearson) is here, I should think that the house

would undoubtedly accept a motion to proceed with a subject of that kind if it were presented by the government.


Mr. M. J. Coldwell (Roseiown-Biggar):: Mr. Speaker, I think considerable confusion has been caused in the past by intervention of other business in the course of the debate on the address in reply to the speech from the throne. I do not think it has facilitated the business of the house at all. Last year, I remember, there was considerable criticism on this side of the house-I think from all parties-because of the manner in which the traditional procedure was changed. I have great sympathy with what the leader of the opposition (Mr. Drew) has said regarding these problems. Nevertheless I believe that the debate on the address in reply to the speech from the throne is the first, and indeed the main, opportunity for private members to express to the government what they, and through them their constituents, are thinking about the problems that have arisen.
While we should make every effort to shorten the debate as much as we possibly can-and it is a very difficult thing to do- nevertheless by continuing the debate we would facilitate the business of the house, the government would understand the views of private members and of the people of the country, and in the end we would be further ahead if we disposed of the address first and then took up these vital problems in the order that has been mentioned.
There is one other method that could be adopted by members of the opposition or members on the government side of the house if they so desired, if they felt these matters were of sufficient interest to justify a statement from the minister concerned. Amendments could be moved from time to time. It has been my experience in the past that when we have interrupted the debate on the address to do something else we have not facilitated the business of the house-indeed I think we have rather delayed it.


[Stage Direction]
On the orders of the day:
Mr. Robert Fair (Battle River):: May I ask
the Minister of Trade and Commerce when the wheat growers of the prairie provinces may expect the final payment under the five-year wheat pool, and whether the government has made up its mind what it will contribute toward making up the losses sustained by those farmers? If the amount has been determined, how much will it be?
Inquiries of the Ministry


Right Hon. C. D. Howe (Minister of Trade and Commerce):: I am not able at this time to make a statement regarding the five-year pool.


Mr. Wright:: If I may ask a supplementary question, is the government still carrying on negotiations with the United Kingdom government with respect to any further payment under what is commonly known as the "have regard" clause in the four-year British contract?


Clarence Decatur Howe: I am not able to make a statement on that subject today.


Mr. Ross (Souris):: If I may ask a further supplementary question, could the Prime Minister say whether negotiations have been reopened with the British government in regard to a final settlement of the United Kingdom-Canada wheat agreement and the five-year pool?


Louis Stephen St-Laurent: I will not say that negotiations have been opened with the government of the United Kingdom in that regard, but representations were made as to what I thought was the view prevailing throughout the wheat-producing provinces of Canada in regard to the fulfilment of all obligations under the four-year contract.


[Stage Direction]
On the orders of the day:
Mr. G. K. Fraser (Peterborough West):: In
view of the communist blackmailing of friends and relatives of Canadians in China, has the government considered the prohibition of export of Canadian funds to communist China?


Hon. Douglas Abbott (Minister of Finance):: The matter has not been given consideration up to the present time.


[Stage Direction]
On the orders of the day:
Mr. Gordon Graydon (Peel):: In view of certain government statements made during the recess, I should like to ask the Prime Minister whether it is the intention of the Canadian government to proceed alone with the construction of the St. Lawrence seaway if the United States congress does not, within a reasonable time, offer its co-operation in that regard.


Louis Stephen St-Laurent: The prospects of co-operation

The Address-Mr. McMillan between the two governments in the construction of the project as a whole, both for navigation and for hydroelectric power development, appear quite good at the present time, and we are hopeful that within a short time there will be some constructive action in that regard.


Gordon Graydon: That is good news.



SPEECH FROM THE THRONE


[Stage Direction]
The house proceeded to the consideration of the speech delivered by His Excellency the Governor General at the opening of the session.
Mr. W. H. McMillan (Welland):: Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to move, seconded by the hon. member for Joliette-L'Assomp-tion-Montcalm (Mr. Breton):
That the following address be presented to His Excellency the Governor General of Canada:
To His Excellency Field Marshal the Right Honourable the Viscount Alexander of Tunis, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George. Companion of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, upon whom has been conferred the decoration of the Military Cross, Governor General and Commander in Chief of Canada.
May it please Your Excellency:
We, His Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the House of Commons of Canada, in parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Excellency for the gracious speech which Your Excellency has addressed to both houses of parliament.
I am well aware, sir, that the Prime Minister (Mr. St. Laurent) has conferred a high honour upon me in inviting me to move the address to His Excellency in reply to the speech from the throne. I do not view this as a personal tribute, because this is my first step into Canadian politics and I have yet to prove my fitness for this important undertaking. I consider it rather as a tribute to the good people of the county of Welland whom I have the honour to represent. It is also a tribute to the memory of my immediate predecessor as member for that county, the late Hon. Humphrey Mitchell, for many years minister of labour, whose untimely death was a shock to all the people of my county, as I am sure it was to all hon. members of this house. His untiring efforts on behalf of his constituents and the people of Canada generally will long be remembered. It is also a tribute to the medical profession of which I am a member. In this house there have been many distinguished members of that (Mr, St. Laurent.]
profession, in the past as there are at the present time. The Minister of National Revenue (Mr. McCann) is a member of my profession, who quite recently received the honorary degree of doctor of laws from his and my alma mater, Queen's university.
In passing I cannot help paying tribute to an old friend and medical confrere, the hon. member for Lanark (Mr. Blair). We graduated together from Queen's in medicine; we joined the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps and spent three years in France. Then we came back and did post-graduate work together in New York. Now, after all these years, we are together again and yet apart, in this Canadian House of Commons.
On one occasion during the first world war it was my privilege to sit in the gallery at Westminster. At that time I heard the first sea lord, the late Sir John Fisher, answer critics of the Royal Navy, while trying to get some estimates passed. He was assisted by such illustrious parliamentarians as the late Right Hon. Bonar Law and the late Sir Arthur Balfour, afterward Lord Balfour. These were household names in the British empire and throughout the world at that time. I was impressed by the democratic processes at work that day. I have always looked upon the mother of parliaments as the ideal in democracy. There a freedom has been developed under which all men are equal, an ideal that has long since taken root wherever Britishers have gone.
Today a tyranny threatens that way of life. Our civilization has reached a point at which the destiny of our country, and perhaps in no small part that of the whole world, may well be in the hands of the hon. members of this house. We pray for courage, for resolution and for divine guidance during this critical period of our history. I feel that our chief consideration here should be for our own survival and the survival of democracy.
In his New Year's message to the Canadian people I heard His Excellency state that he would be pleased to remain in Canada throughout 1951. I am sure I express the sentiments of all hon, members of this house when I say we would be pleased to hear him repeat that message at the beginning of 1952. During the second world war Field Marshal Alexander won our admiration as an outstanding military leader. Since then His Excellency and Lady Alexander have done much travelling in Canada and have endeared themselves to the hearts of the Canadian people.
The counties of Welland and Lincoln are the most easterly in the Niagara peninsula. They are separated from the great empire

state of New York by the Niagara river in its entire length. The Welland ship canal, which was built to overcome the rapids and the falls at Niagara, traverses both these counties. The canal connects lake Erie and lake Ontario, and its course runs parallel to the Niagara river at distances of from seven to twelve miles from that river. It can truly be said that in Niagara falls we have one of the natural wonders of the world, and in the Welland ship canal we have one of the man-made wonders of the world.
My home is at Thorold in the northern end of the county. It was here that the Welland ship canal was officially opened in August, 1931, by the late Right Hon. Stanley Baldwin, then prime minister of Great Britain. At that time the late Hon. Dr. Manion was minister of railways and canals. In Thorold we say that the steamships climb the mountain, because the height of the whole Niagara escarpment is ascended in a distance of less than one mile.
In the early days industry settled along the canal in order to make use of the water for power purposes and for shipping facilities. Today the water power has been largely replaced by hydroelectric power, but many of the industries have remained and expanded. The Welland ship canal passes through the city of Welland, the county seat, and also the town of Port Colborne, which is situated on the lake Erie entrance to the canal. The county of Welland has two fastgrowing cities in the cities of Niagara Falls and Welland. We also have near cities in Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Stamford and Thorold, and our rural areas are densely populated. Without a doubt we have one of the largest ridings by way of population in the Dominion of Canada. There are about 120,000 people in the county, with an electorate of about 70,000.
The earliest settlers consisted mainly of United Empire Loyalists who crossed the Niagara river from 1790 onward to carve out homes in the wilderness. Before them and later, many came from the British isles. Since world war I we have had a great influx of fine people from central and southern Europe. More recently many of our good neighbours from our sister province of Quebec have entered our county. Living as we do in close proximity to the great American cities of Niagara Falls and Buffalo, our people have daily contact with our friends in that country and thereby contribute to a greater mutual understanding between our peoples.
Our agriculture is varied between general farming, fruit farming, market gardening and grape growing. The Fonthill, Fenwick and
9
The Address-Mr. McMillan Stamford areas are very productive and have several nurseries, fruit farms and vineyards.
In Welland county we have one of the most intensely industrialized areas in the Dominion of Canada. Today a $160 million hydroelectric development is getting under way at Niagara falls to add another 500,000 horsepower to the already large production of hydroelectric power in that area. Our county can boast of several steel, pulp and paper, abrasive, chemical and flour milling plants. It has several wineries, a nickel refinery, cement works, aircraft factory, a fertilizer and explosives plant, a plant for the manufacture of farm machinery, as well as a large number of smaller plants. All these industries make Welland an area vital to the welfare of all the people of Canada, both in time of peace and in time of war. In passing, I might mention that the people of the county of Welland - subscribed slightly over $159 million in the various war loans.
Finally, our county is a mecca for tourists. Not only is it a gateway into Canada for our cousins from the United States, but the Ontario government maintains the beautiful Niagara parks, which consist of thirty-five miles of magnificent parklands bordering the Niagara river and include many well known and famous gardens, unusual floral displays, ancient fortifications, old battlefields and historic sites of interest and significance to the people of North America. More than one hon. member has admitted to me that he visited Niagara falls on the occasion of the celebration of his leaving the state of bachelorhood.
In the first half of this century, prior to the time of the late Hon. Humphrey Mitchell, Welland was represented by distinguished men in this house. These were the late William Manley German, the late A. B. Damude, the late Evan Fraser, and Mr. George Pettit, K.C., a well-known solicitor and distinguished citizen of the city of Welland.
Since the last meeting of parliament the arbitrator in the railway strike has made his report. The outcome was favourable to labour in that labour obtained most of its demands. This should dispel any idea that there was any unnecessary attempt on the part of the government to interfere with free collective bargaining. The conference between the premiers of our provinces and the federal government was marked in its evidence of good will and cordial relations, which we hope will continue to promote a united Canada. Certain constitutional amendments and tax agreements were submitted to the provinces and, of course, have to be considered by the various provincial governments. If the provinces accept the federal old age

The Address-Mr. McMillan security proposal, Canada will have for her aged citizens a program that will stand comparison with any other such program in the world.
Among other items in the forecast of legislation, we are pleased to note that there is one to relieve the difficulties of veterans and their dependents.
We are pleased to note that the President of the United States, in his economic message to the eighty-second congress, again stressed that the United States should start immediately on the St. Lawrence seaway and power project. There was a report from his council of economic advisers which said:
The project must be begun if imported ore is to become economically available in quantity in our inland steel centres by 1956, when the flow of Mesabi ore will almost certainly have begun to dwindle.
This work will be proceeded with in conjunction with our country when the legislation is finally adopted. When the navigation improvements are completed they will add greatly not only to the economic welfare of our newest province of Newfoundland, w!th its iron ore, but to many other parts of Canada as well. The power development part of the project will supply areas, particularly in Ontario, that have been short of electric power in recent years, and permit a greater industrial development of those areas.
It is the hope of our government to admit many new, carefully selected people, mostly from western Europe and the United Kingdom. Financial aid will be extended to help pay the fares of many of these people coming both by sea and by air. This tide of new people will strengthen the economy of our country, and they will be a valuable addition to our Canadian working force in helping us meet our obligations in preparation for defence.
Canada is a land of opportunity for these people. In the past many have been freely admitted. I agree that the few who have abused the privileges of citizenship granted them should be subject to further examination, followed by whatever action the government sees fit to take.
As a medical man, I am particularly interested in the health program which the federal government has made possible in recent years. I will enumerate what to my mind are some of the outstanding features of that program.
The national health program announced in May, 1948, was the most outstanding event in Canada's recent health history. In the past two and a half years plans have been made to spend $50 million out of the federal

health grants to the provinces. With the assistance of these grants, health services in Canada are reaching new high levels. In all ten provinces careful surveys of existing facilities and services are being undertaken. Badly needed new hospitals and additions have provided 25,000 new beds. In various fields the government has helped to train 3,500 health workers; and staffs have been added to provincial and local health services. Medical research has been greatly advanced by federal grants. Finally, the federal government, through almost 3,000 individual projects, has assisted the provinces to intensify their preventive and treatment programs against such dreaded diseases as cancer, tuberculosis, mental illness, venereal disease and crippling conditions in children. I think this program is really the foundation of a national health scheme.
I am quite aware of the fact that most health measures come directly under provincial jurisdiction; but after practising medicine for over thirty years I realize that one of the main elements in connection with the insecurity of our people is the high cost of hospitalization and the expensive diagnostic, medical and surgical procedures so often necessary without warning. I have often seen life savings wiped out in a few weeks or months of unexpected sickness or accident. I cannot help but express the hope that we shall soon see the day when there will be available to all our people a contributory health plan to meet the cost of major sicknesses and accidents. We have many group plans that are fine so far as they go, but they are either not available or are not easily available to the large majority of our people. The statement of policy adopted by the general council of the Canadian Medical Association on June 14, 1949, reads in part as follows:
The Canadian Medical Association hopes that the provincial surveys now being conducted will provide information likely to be of value in the elaboration of detailed schemes.
The Canadian Medical Association will gladly co-operate in the preparation of detailed schemes which have as their object the removal of any barriers which exist between the people and the medical services they need, and which respect the essential principles of the profession.
Canada must immediately take her place in the program of increased rearming for defence, not only for our own security but for the collective security of all free nations. We commend the efforts of our land, sea and air transport forces in the Korean war. We are pleased to note that plans are under way to meet our obligations under the North Atlantic treaty by organizing an integrated force to serve under General Eisenhower in western Europe.

To meet our obligations our government must have adequate authority from parliament in order to proceed with the least possible delay. One of the steps necessary is the creation of a new department to procure defence supplies for ourselves and for our allies. We all realize that our defence program must be integrated with that of our good friend and neighbour, the United States of America. Our defence programs will obviously involve greatly increased spending and therefore an increase in taxes. Increased taxes are never easy to bear, but it will be the duty of hon. members to give consideration to a fair application of these taxes.
At the recent conference of the commonwealth prime ministers in London, our own Prime Minister (Mr. St. Laurent) took an important part. These nine commonwealth leaders, who represent one-quarter of the world's population extending over all continents and oceans, agreed to strengthen their defences and to stand for peace. In order to promote real peace they urged that the wounds of the last war must be healed; that settlements with Germany and Japan should be made with speed; that any feasible arrangements for a frank exchange of views with Russia and China would be welcomed.
We are deeply grateful for the efforts put forth by the commonwealth members, and by our own Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for External Affairs (Mr. Pearson) in particular, directed towards obtaining a cessation of hostilities in Korea. They also stated that the peace and prosperity of the free world cannot be assured while millions live in poverty. Contribution on our part towards the Colombo plan is a practical evidence of our government's effort 1,o remove one of the causes of war. Some of us may regard war as inevitable; but a determined and resolute rapidly-arming western world might well be a deterrent. At the same time we must try to achieve an honourable peace, and it is possible that it may only be achieved by the same zeal and energy that we put into our defence program.
Most of the western world has been prosperous. Canada, for instance, has enjoyed the most prosperous year in her history. We produced more, earned more and spent more than ever before. At the same time, in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, people died of starvation and millions more barely eked out an existence. Here, to my mind, is the real threat to our security; for poverty, disease and want breed wars. So long as these conditions continue to exist, there can be no security for us; for they provide a fertile
The Address-Mr. Breton field for communism. We know that communism is not the answer; but people in dire need do not question the source of aid, however meagre or fraudulent.
If we accept our responsibilities towards the underprivileged people of the world and if we actively try to promote the brotherhood of man, we of the free nations may yet achieve the peace which now seems so far distant. War may not be inevitable unless we so regard it.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to extend congratulations to our Prime Minister, who tomorrow will celebrate his sixty-ninth birthday. Long may he be spared in good health to carry on in his high calling.
(Translation):


Mr. Maurice Breton (Joliette-L'Assompiion-Montcalm):: Mr. Speaker, it is a fearful privilege for a new member to be called upon to second the address in reply. I am going through that experience today and I must recognize that the tremor felt by my predecessors, under similar circumstances-as evidenced by Hansard-was not purely academic.
It gives me great pleasure, however, to second the address of my colleague, the new member for Welland (Mr. McMillan), in reply to the speech by His Excellency the Governor General to both houses of parliament.
I wish, at the outset, to thank the Prime Minister and his colleagues for the honour they have bestowed both upon myself and upon the riding of Joliette-L'Assomption-Montcalm in asking me to second the address, and I trust I may be able to perform my task as brilliantly as the hon. member for Welland. May I offer the latter my sincere congratulations both on his speech and on his recent election to parliament. I would like also to take this opportunity to thank my friends from my riding who came here today in such great number to support their new representative in his first endeavour.
In a statement to the press, following the adjournment of the house, the right hon. the Prime Minister used kind words with regard to my election by acclamation on October 3 in the riding of Joliette-L'Assomption-Mont-calm. I am very pleased to point out that this result is an unequivocal tribute paid by the electors of my riding to the prestige of the right hon. the Prime Minister and to that of the present government as well as to the high reputation of the new leader of the Quebec provincial Liberal party, Mr. Georges-Emile Lapalme, who preceded me in this house.

The Address-Mr. Breton
(Text):
Since last session events have taken place to which I feel I must refer. Among others I wish to recall the appointment of the Secretary of State for External Affairs (Mr. Pearson) to the cease-fire committee of the United- Nations. His attitude in the Korean struggle, as it appears from his broadcast delivered at Lake Success on December 5, and from his other statements, conforms in the best possible manner to the general wishes of this country. May I offer my congratulations to the Secretary of State for External Affairs upon the good work he is doing at Lake Success.
May I also extend my best wishes to the Minister of Mines and Technical Surveys (Mr. Prudham) on the occasion of his recent appointment. I am sure that every hon. member will rejoice at the news that the province of Alberta is now represented in the cabinet.
I also offer my congratulations to the hon. member for Kenora-Rainy River (Mr. Benidickson) who has been appointed parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Transport; to the hon. member for Regina City (Mr. McCusker) who has been appointed parliamentary assistant to the Minister of National Health and Welfare; to the hon. member for Winnipeg South Centre (Mr. Maybank) who has been appointed parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Resources and Development, and also to the hon. member for Vancouver Centre (Mr. Campney) who has been appointed parliamentary assistant to the Minister of National Defence.
(Translation):
I also congratulate the hon. member for Montmagny-L'Islet (Mr. Lesage) who has been appointed parliamentary assistant to the Secretary of State for External Affairs (Mr. Pearson). My congratulations are also extended to the hon. member for Gaspe (Mr. Langlois) who has been appointed parliamentary assistant to the Postmaster General (Mr. Rinfret).
(Text):
I also take this opportunity to express my sympathy to the family of Mr. J. L. Douglas, the ex-member for Queens, and to the family of Mr. J. E. Matthews, the ex-member for Brandon, whose recent deaths have deeply grieved this house.
(Translation):
I cannot let the appointment of my predecessor in this house, Mr. Georges-Emile Lapalme, as leader of the Liberal party in the province of Quebec, pass unnoticed. I am happy at this time to pay tribute to Mr. 
Lapalme and to wish him all the success he deserves in the discharge of his new duties. The new provincial leader's campaigns in the constituency of Joliette-L'Assomption-Mont-calm, his deep knowledge of politics, his liking for work, his cultural attainments, his intellectual and moral integrity, his energy and his talents marked him out for a leading role in the administration of public affairs in the province of Quebec.
Mr. Lapalme acquired an excellent working knowledge of public affairs during his term of office in Ottawa and his experience as a member of parliament made him conscious of the urgency of social reforms necessary in the province of Quebec. I am confident that his policy of social justice, patterned upon the Liberal doctrine, will have a favourable effect on the trend in the province of Quebec.
Since the adjournment of the house, two dominion-provincial conferences were held, the first in Quebec on September 25 and the second in Ottawa on December 4 last. Their purpose was to discuss means of amending the Canadian constitution and to consider the renewal of tax - agreements between governments, as well as problems of social security.
Every member of this house has, I am sure, noted with satisfaction that there is an ever increasing spirit of co-operation between the representatives of the various provinces and of the dominion government.
The mistrust which may have been present at first has given place to a growing desire to co-operate, and to the unanimous will to settle in a friendly manner some of the serious problems in the field of constitutional rights. Even though, so far, discussions dealt mainly with matters of procedure, it is to be hoped that once this important point has been clearly defined, settlement of the others will follow.
The government deserves, of course, to be commended by this house for the manner in which it has dealt with the constitutional problem, both as to form-amendment methods or procedure-and to substance, by placing particular emphasis on the necessity of broadening the scope of social security in this country, while at the same time respecting the autonomy of the provinces.
By thus classifying the constitutional problems, the government has led the way and, in every instance, has helped clear up what misunderstandings may have existed at the time.
Indeed it will be remembered that, in the fall of 1949, at the first session of this parliament, the government introduced its three-point program for constitutional reform:
1.	Abolition of appeals to the privy council.

2.	Right for the parliament of Canada to amend the constitution with respect to matters coming under its exclusive authority.
3.	Consultation with the provinces for possible amendment of those matters involving both authorities.
This classification of the problems to be considered was adopted by the federal-provincial conferences and will probably lead to the settlement of the constitutional problem, by reducing, point by point, the causes of misunderstanding in so far as jurisdiction is concerned.
It may be said that one of the major barriers to constitutional reform has already been removed, for it is the unanimous wish of all the parties to this future agreement to safeguard provincial particularities in the matter of education, of language and of religion. This defence of certain essential rights is, in any event, greatly facilitated by a tradition of liberty and tolerance which is altogether in keeping with our democratic aspirations.
I am convinced that each and every member of this house will agree that Canada must not only have a constitution worthy of its political maturity, but that it must also possess legislative powers that will enable it, from time to time, to adopt, notwithstanding provincial particularities, social laws nationwide in their scope.
While I am on the subject of social security, I believe I may be allowed to state that, to my mind, it is nonsensical that problems of national health, of unemployment, of help to the disabled or the unfortunate of all kinds,- in other words problems of life itself,- should be so hard to solve because of legal difficulties or jurisdictional disputes. Allow me to express the hope that the future Canadian constitution will be flexible enough to enable all parties concerned to adopt, through both federal and provincial legislation, all the appropriate measures to help those who suffer and who, if they received no help, would bring shame on a nation such as ours which has been so greatly favoured by Providence.
During the last federal-provincial conference, held here in Ottawa last December, the representatives of the federal government set out proposals to grant the old age pension, without the means test, to all persons over seventy, and to lower the age limit to sixty-five for the needy, in accordance with the recommendations submitted by the joint committee of the House of Commons and the Senate on old: age security.
The Address-Mr. Breton
The conference delegates deserve congratulations for bringing up this point, which is one of the urgent requirements of the debate on the revision of our constitution, that is the need for enlarging the scope of social security in order that the poor may take better advantage of it.
If I stress the importance of social security, it is because ever since I had the honour of being chosen to represent a riding in the House of Commons, I have met-and all members of this house have surely had the same experience-a great many needy and disabled persons, as well as poor widows and sick people who were unable to pay for medical care.
I am convinced that no man in political life who has his duty at heart would remain unconcerned in the face of such a social evil-Businessmen cannot ignore so distressing a social condition. As for us, who are here to draft bills for the benefit of the Canadian people as a whole, we cannot overlook so important a matter.
I recall these things not because I wish to be critical of what has been done up to now to alleviate suffering in our country. Tracing back the history of our social legislation for the past 30 or 40 years, we find that considerable progress has been made.
The magnificent outline given in Vancouver, on June 12 last, by the Minister of National Health and Welfare (Mr. Martin), of the work already done, is sufficient indication that politicians have considered the problem and endeavoured to solve it. This interest in social welfare has been reflected, these past few years, in various acts which have increased the amount voted for this purpose by one billion dollars. Indeed, while in 1913 our various governments spent a total of $15 million for social welfare purposes, today the federal and provincial governments are spending more than a billion.
I need not recall that the main architect of social security in our country was the late Right Hon. Mackenzie King.
I need not remind members of this house the attitude of the present Prime Minister (Mr. St. Laurent) on this matter. Is he not the one who not long ago most appropriately said:
We shall not be satisfied until we have attained on a national scale, and with the co-operation of the provincial governments, a degree of social security and human welfare that will ensure to all Canadians the greatest possible measure of social justice.

The Address-Mr. Breton
The numerous social measures to which I have referred may run up against certain constitutional obstacles, and we must admit that they do. It is therefore urgent to amend the texts in a spirit of mutual understanding, so as not to hinder the progress of this legislation.
Among the important events which took place since the adjournment of the last session in September, the last but not least was the Prime Minister's trip to London and Paris from the fourth to the thirteenth of this month. The importance of the matters discussed at the commonwealth conference attracted the attention of the whole country to the events which took place in London and Paris. The marked satisfaction evinced by the press, Canadian, French and English, over the Canadian Prime Minister's recent statements in Paris as well as in London, underlines the democratic peoples' desire to safeguard peace. We still do not know what results these efforts will bring. Whatever is in the offing, however, the Canadian people will recognize, I think, that Canada, while fulfilling her obligations towards her allies in the matter of defence, is doing everything in her power to avert war.
As this new session opens, free countries see one of the gravest hours in history approaching.
Whether we like it or not, our country is bound by the necessity to defend its freedom and its life against the greatest danger the modern world has known.
The alliance of Slavic and Mongolian peoples threatens our civilization with a dreadful menace. It recalls a similar hour which goes back exactly 1,500 years in time, since it was in March of the year 451 of the Christian era that Attila, known as the scourge of God, invaded Gaul and Italy.
The middle ages were never to forget the horrors of this invasion which, though it lasted but a short time, was the most cruel ever experienced in ancient times. A wave of Asiatic barbarians then swept over western civilization, with this difference that, in 1951, the danger is much greater.
For the second time in fifteen centuries, the West is being threatened by the East. The present era is again faced with a threat similar to that which horrified the world of yesteryear. This threat does not arise from the domination of one people by another, but from a conflict between two worlds, from the

clash of two civilizations. The opposite poles of communism and of democracy are, on the one hand, ideological atheism and, on the other, belief in God.
Precisely because this is a serious hour, we must be grateful to the leader of the government for judging the international situation with all the calmness it requires. That quality of realism so appreciated in him, in London and in Paris and his suggestion, when many were giving way to fear, that explanations be sought from China about a text he considered equivocal, have raised new hopes for peace and for the possible settlement of the Asian problem.
Even though our Prime Minister is a good ambassador of peace, he still wishes to make this country secure against any possible war.
The speech from the throne reflects this preoccupation on the part of the government. It also announces legislation on federal-provincial fiscal agreements and the pursuance of the government's social security policy by the improvement of the Old Age Pensions Act.
Several security measures will be introduced in this house, with a particular view to speeding up our defence production, thanks to the abundant resources of this country.
I would point out, among other things, the adoption of certain measures that will give the governor in council the extra authority required to ensure adequate defence preparations, in order to face this emergency while preventing the economic disruption they could entail.
The setting up of a Department of Defence Production will help first of all to supply our defence forces and will provide such material aid to our allies as may be met from Canadian production.
This program of legislation is the answer to the communist ideology and to the attempts of Russia to gain world domination. If the leaders of the Moscow regime are trying to scare the world by centralizing all the resources of the countries under their domination, it is necessary that all free countries, without abandoning peace negotiations, pool their resources, create material and moral unity and combine their resistance efforts in the defence of liberty.
(Text):
On motion of Mr. Drew the debate was adjourned.	.
On motion of Mr. St. Laurent the house adjourned at 4.15 p.m.

Thursday, February 1, 1951